__ greatly increase stopping distances and severity of crashes.
Answers
High speeds
Slow speeds
Night drives
Uphill inclines
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is High speeds.
Explanation:
High speeds significantly increase both stopping distances and the severity of crashes. The relationship between speed and stopping distance is governed by physics, particularly Newton’s laws of motion. When a vehicle is traveling at higher speeds, it requires more time and distance to come to a complete stop. This is due to the fact that the vehicle’s momentum increases with speed, and more force is needed to overcome this momentum.
Stopping Distance: Stopping distance is the total distance a vehicle travels from the moment a driver perceives a hazard until the vehicle comes to a stop. It is composed of two main components:
- Perception distance: The distance a vehicle travels while the driver is identifying a hazard.
- Reaction distance: The distance traveled while the driver reacts by applying the brakes.
- Braking distance: The distance required to stop the vehicle once the brakes are applied.
At higher speeds, all three components of stopping distance increase. For example, if a car is moving at 60 mph, its stopping distance is significantly greater than at 30 mph. This is because, at higher speeds, both the perception and reaction distances increase, while the braking distance grows exponentially due to the greater momentum that needs to be counteracted by the braking force.
Severity of Crashes: The severity of a crash is also much greater at higher speeds. This is due to the increased energy involved. The kinetic energy of a vehicle is proportional to the square of its speed. This means that at higher speeds, a vehicle has much more energy, which must be dissipated during a collision. The higher the speed, the more damage is likely to occur to the vehicle, passengers, and the surrounding environment.
Therefore, high speeds are a critical factor that greatly affects both stopping distances and crash severity, making driving at excessive speeds more dangerous.